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anyone got any sloes
Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 5:16 pm
by Silver Ether
Where have they all gone? I always check to see how the sloes are doing a couple of months before they should be picked so I know where to go... I have found two... two!!! from three different locations. I am very unhappy I like my sloes

Re: anyone got any sloes
Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 6:41 pm
by Graye
I've found a grand total of two here too, we're in the Dordogne at the moment. We are going back to the UK next month and I was hoping to pick plenty back in North Yorkshire. Sounds as if I shall be out of luck this year... Same thing here with the peaches, plums etc, in fact the only things which have done well are blackberries, also wild figs and apples.
Re: anyone got any sloes
Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 6:49 pm
by MikeM
same here, one of my good spots has only a few. Haven't been to my 'banker' spot yet, but I guess that won't be upto much either.
Still, got a couple of bags of elderberries the other day, so I'll just make loads of elderberry wine instead.
Re: anyone got any sloes
Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 6:41 pm
by mrsflibble
I have my places to go ;)
MAdam Cholet infoms me Nottingham's having massive problems because an influx of western european people happen to know what they're looking for; darned word of mouth education hahaha!!
round here it's the same, but nobody knows about my secret place mwahaha.
Re: anyone got any sloes
Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 7:00 pm
by The Riff-Raff Element
Nothing here either. Are sloes in the genus prunus with plumps and cherries and so forth? If so, it would appear we have a general malaise that needs some explaining!
Re: anyone got any sloes
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 10:39 am
by shell
same here,got a handful about 2 weeks ago while out blackberring,i have a sloe bush?tree in my hedgrow at the front of my bungalow but no sloes as yet,the blackberries there are either small and red or green and hard,

Re: anyone got any sloes
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 10:46 am
by red
nothing here
no damsons. very few plums, poor apple harvest. im putting it down to the late frost we had. does for the blossom...
Re: anyone got any sloes
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 12:11 pm
by Millymollymandy
For us it was nothing to do with late frosts but the fact that it rained a lot when the blossom was on the trees so very few insects could get out and pollinate the flowers! I do have some peaches though and about 5 pears.....

Re: anyone got any sloes
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 1:49 pm
by Brod
Likewise here. I've been keeping my eyes open on my travels for sloes forming (work takes me out into the field literally!) and so for I've found sloes on..............one branch on one bush on all the miles of hedgerow I've checked

. about 30 berries in total.
Had a look in my drinks cupboard this weekend and I'm down to the last 5 bottles of sloe gin time to panic me thinks.
Re: anyone got any sloes
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 2:52 pm
by AXJ
We have a sloe tree meters away in the street, it is raining sloes. Gin is so cheap here as to be used as a household cleaner, so sloe gin coming up

Re: anyone got any sloes
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 3:36 pm
by Silver Ether
I got all excited then ... then I realised your in Spain... no sloes gin this year then.
I have found a few damsons so far and gathered a decent crop of elderberries this morning ... but its looking like apple, pears or blackberry everything.

Re: anyone got any sloes
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 3:58 pm
by AXJ
Silver Ether wrote:I got all excited then ... then I realised your in Spain... no sloes gin this year then.
I am really sorry to get your hopes up then dash them. Sounds like this year has been a poor harvest for most things, even over here the locals are moaning about the slim picking of toms, pimentos and waccy baccy.
I have tomato plants still groaning with green ones (MKG's suggestion of using bananas to finish them off is about to be tried).
One way or the other the sloes seem to be happy as pigs in dirt.
Re: anyone got any sloes
Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 7:00 am
by Millymollymandy
Silver Ether wrote:I got all excited then ... then I realised your in Spain... no sloes gin this year then.
I have found a few damsons so far and gathered a decent crop of elderberries this morning ... but its looking like apple, pears or blackberry everything.

At least you've got pears! I have about 6 on 3 trees!

Re: anyone got any sloes
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:35 am
by MKG
No sloes for two years!!!!!
The local council have begun to do their socially-responsible bit and trim back the hedgerows. Unfortunately, they do it in August.
Re: anyone got any sloes
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 6:08 am
by Millymollymandy
Typical.

You'll have to go on the other side of the bush, MKG!